Starfield All You Need To Play Well From Start

Starfield: All You Need to Play Well From Start

So, you’re ready to jump into the vast universe of Starfield? That’s awesome! It’s a huge game with tons to do, and getting started on the right foot can make a big difference. This guide is going to walk you through everything you should know to have a great time from the moment you begin your adventure. We’ll cover character creation, important early choices, tips for exploring, combat basics, and how to manage your resources. Let’s get started and get you space-ready!

Creating Your Spacefarer: Backgrounds and Traits

Before you can explore the stars, you need to make your character. This is more than just picking a face; it’s about deciding who your character is and what they’re good at. Two key parts of this are your Background and your Traits.

Understanding Backgrounds

Backgrounds are like your character’s past jobs or experiences. They give you three starting skills. These skills can help you in different ways, like being better at talking to people, fixing ships, or fighting. Let’s look at some examples:

• Combat Medic: Good at healing and combat. Starts with Medicine, Pistol Certification, and Wellness. Perfect if you like being a helpful, combat-ready explorer.
• Diplomat: Great at talking and negotiating. Starts with Persuasion, Commerce, and Wellness. Ideal for a player who likes to solve problems with words instead of guns.
• Explorer: Good at surviving and discovering. Starts with Surveying, Astrophysics, and Lasers. A great choice if you love exploring new worlds.
• Bounty Hunter: Skilled at finding and taking down targets. Starts with Piloting, Targeting Control Systems, and Fitness. If you dream of being a space cowboy, this could be your pick.

Choosing a background isn’t just about starting skills, it also shapes some of the dialogue options you will encounter. Pay attention to each background’s description and choose one that fits how you picture your character playing. Don’t worry too much about making the perfect choice – you will have plenty of opportunities to improve your skills as you play.

Choosing the Right Traits

Traits are like extra bonuses or quirks that give your character special abilities, but also drawbacks. You can pick up to three traits, and they can really change how you play the game. Here are a few examples:

• Introvert: You get a combat buff when you are adventuring alone, but the opposite when with companions. Pick if you are a lone wolf.
• Extrovert: You get more out of adventuring with companions, but less benefits when alone. Ideal for someone who likes teamwork.
• Kid Stuff: Your parents are alive and occasionally send you gifts, but you owe them some money. A good choice if you want to add a family relationship to the game.
• Taskmaster: You get more crew capacity on your ship, but also higher maintenance costs. Perfect if you want a bigger crew.
• Wanted: You get a bounty on your head, and random mercenaries might attack you, but you get an increase in damage when health is low. Adds some excitement to your adventure.

Carefully read each trait before selecting them, think about your playstyle, and pick traits that match your intentions. You can always visit a specific in-game location to remove and change these traits later, if you really dislike your initial selections.

Understanding the User Interface (UI)

Starfield has a lot going on, and understanding the user interface (UI) is vital to playing effectively. The UI provides you with all the information you need to navigate, fight, and explore. Let’s break down some important parts:

Heads-Up Display (HUD)

The HUD is what you see on your screen during gameplay. It shows your health, ammo, compass, and other important info. You will become familiar with these elements quickly. Here are a few key parts:

• Health Bar: This shows how much health you have. If it goes down to zero, you’re in trouble.
• Oxygen Gauge: Your character needs oxygen to survive. This gauge shows how much you have and when you need to rest or use an aid item to replenish it.
• Compass: This helps you navigate. It shows directions and nearby points of interest.
• Weapon/Ammo Display: This shows what weapon you have equipped and how much ammo you have.
• Status Effects: This area displays status effects like injuries, damage over time, and other temporary modifications you might have.

The Inventory Screen

Your inventory is where you keep everything you pick up: weapons, ammo, food, crafting materials, and more. Here are some key parts of the inventory screen:

• Item Categories: Items are sorted into categories like weapons, apparel, aid, resources, etc., making them easier to find.
• Item Details: When you select an item, you’ll see its stats, weight, and value.
• Equipping and Using Items: You can equip items like weapons and apparel, or use aid items here.
• Junk: This is where you will see all the miscellaneous loot. A good habit to get into is to sell this often to help your credits increase.

The Menu System

The main menu provides access to important features, including your skill tree, ship management, the star map, and your quest log. Here are some of the key elements:

• Skills: Here you can spend skill points that you acquire by leveling up, to improve your skills.
• Ship: This is where you can manage your ship. You can upgrade it, repair it, and even customize it.
• Star Map: This is where you can travel through the galaxy. You can select different star systems to jump to and different landing zones within those systems.
• Quests: This screen keeps track of all your quests. You can see what you need to do next and track your progress.

Take your time getting familiar with the UI; it will become second nature after you play for a little while. It is a vital element to making your adventure more smooth and enjoyable.

Exploration Tips and Tricks

Exploration is a big part of Starfield. There are countless planets and locations to visit. Here are some tips to make the most of your explorations:

Scanning and Surveying

Your scanner is essential for finding resources and points of interest. Use it often as you explore. You should get in the habit of scanning anything you encounter. Here’s how it works:

• Scanning Objects: Aim your scanner at plants, animals, minerals, and objects to learn more about them.
• Surveying Planets: To fully survey a planet, you need to scan a sufficient number of flora, fauna, and geological features. Fully surveying a planet can get you money.
• Resource Identification: The scanner highlights valuable resources, helping you decide what to mine or gather.

Utilizing Your Jetpack

The jetpack is another core mechanic of exploration, allowing you to cross gaps, reach high places, and maneuver quickly. Here’s how to use it effectively:

• Short Bursts: Use short bursts of the jetpack for precise movement.
• Combined with Jumping: Combine jumps and jetpack bursts to gain extra height and distance.
• Conserving Fuel: Be aware of your jetpack fuel. It runs out quickly, so use it strategically.

Following Points of Interest

Keep an eye out for icons on your compass and scanner. These mark places worth investigating, such as settlements, ruins, and resource deposits. Following these can lead you to quest lines, loot, or valuable crafting materials.

Using Your Scanner’s Overlay

While exploring, use your scanner to see the overlay that highlights interactable objects in the environment, like storage containers, interactive panels and more. This will allow you to spot things you may otherwise have missed. You will want to do this often, especially in areas where loot could be hidden well.

Combat Fundamentals

Combat is a part of most adventures in Starfield. Whether you’re fighting pirates, wild creatures, or other spacefarers, being good at combat is very helpful. Here are the basics:

Weapon Types

Starfield features a variety of weapons, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the main types:

• Ballistic Weapons: These weapons use physical bullets, such as pistols, rifles, and shotguns. They are generally effective against all types of enemies.
• Energy Weapons: These use energy bolts, like lasers and plasma weapons. They can be effective against shielded enemies.
• Melee Weapons: Used for close combat. These are generally effective, but require you to be in close range.
• Special Weapons: Some weapons have special abilities, like high-powered sniper rifles. These are more rare to find.

Aiming and Movement

Precise aiming and movement are key to survival in combat. Here are some tips:

• Use Cover: Hide behind objects to avoid enemy fire.
• Strafe: Move side to side to make it harder for enemies to hit you.
• Aim for Weak Points: Some enemies have weak spots, like the head.
• Use Iron Sights: Aiming down sights improves accuracy.

Using Grenades and Mines

Grenades and mines can give you an edge in battle. Use them to flush enemies out of cover or to set traps.

• Grenades: Throw these to damage multiple enemies at once.
• Mines: Place these in strategic locations to catch enemies by surprise.

Understanding Enemy Types

Different types of enemies have different strengths and weaknesses. Some enemies have shields, some may be more resistant to different types of damage. Try to learn about different enemies through combat, or through information you may find at shops or on datapads.

Resource Management

Managing your resources is very important in Starfield. You’ll need credits, raw materials, and crafting components to upgrade your gear, build outposts, and repair your ship.

Earning Credits (Money)

Credits are used to buy things like weapons, ship parts, and other supplies. Here are some of the main ways to get credits:

• Completing Quests: Many quests reward you with credits.
• Selling Items: Sell weapons, armor, and junk you don’t need at shops.
• Surveying Planets: Fully surveying a planet can make you money.
• Bounty Hunting: Track down wanted criminals and collect your reward.

Gathering Raw Materials

Raw materials are used for crafting and building. Here are some important ways to get them:

• Mining: Mine resource deposits on planets with your cutter.
• Gathering Plants: Collect plants and other biological resources.
• Looting: Find resources in containers and from enemies.

Crafting and Modifying

Crafting lets you make new items and improve existing ones. Here are a few things you can do:

• Crafting Weapons: Craft new weapons or modify the weapons that you already have with modifications.
• Crafting Armor: Craft or modify your armor and other apparel with improvements.
• Crafting Aid: Craft healing items or stat-boosting items.

Managing Your Inventory Weight

You can only carry so much weight at once. Make sure you don’t overload yourself by using your ship’s storage to store extra items. Also, consider upgrading your carrying capacity skill so that you can hold more.

Ship Management: Your Home in the Stars

Your ship is your mobile home base in Starfield. You will need to learn how to manage it effectively. Here are some key aspects:

Ship Combat and Upgrades

Ship combat is an exciting part of Starfield. Make sure you manage these key parts to be successful in ship combat.

• Weapon Systems: Upgrade your ship weapons for more firepower.
• Shields: Improve your ship’s shields to take more damage.
• Engines: Upgrade your ship’s engines for speed and maneuverability.
• Piloting Skills: Upgrade your piloting skills to become a better pilot.

Crew Management

You can hire crew members at bars and other locations to add bonuses to your ship. You can also bring your companions as crew members.

Ship Repair and Fuel

You will need to maintain your ship by repairing it when it is damaged, and by purchasing fuel when it is low. Make sure you keep on top of these two components to keep your ship flying well.

Ship Customization

Customization is a key part of ship management. Make sure you learn the basics of building your own ships by visiting ship technicians, or by watching tutorials online. You can make some truly impressive ships with the customization features that are available.

These are some of the most important things you need to learn to start your adventure in Starfield. Remember that exploration and discovery are some of the best parts of the game, so don’t be afraid to try new things. You will improve as you go! Enjoy your time adventuring in the vast and exciting universe of Starfield. There are endless possibilities ahead of you.